HILO, Hawai'i – Senior shortstop Jayda Favela had herself a day in the 2025 home-opening doubleheader in driving in both game-winning runs with a total five-hit afternoon as Hawai'i Hilo rallied twice against HPU, 12-8 and 2-1, on Wednesday in Pacific West Conference play at the Vulcan Softball Field.

The Vulcans turned around a five-run deficit in Game 1 before walking off the Sharks in 10 innings to cap the afternoon.

Favela batted 3 for 4 with a triple, three RBI, a walk, two stolen bases and two runs scored in the opening contest before finishing with two hits while slapping a fielder's choice grounder for the walk-off victory.

With the two runs scored, Favela also moved up to No. 8 in the program record books with a career total of 101, surpassing Chelsea Osborne ('04-'07) and Emily Greene ('12-'15). 

Hawai'i Hilo moved to 5-0 in the PacWest (11-7 overall) as HPU moved to a 2-3 conference record (8-12 overall).

OTHER NOTES

• Fourth-year head coach Aisha Sueda brought her career wins total to 70.
• Hawai'i Hilo earned four more points to take an extra early advantage in the softball section of the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge.

UP NEXT: Thursday, Feb. 27 (1 PM) vs HPU (Hilo, Hawai'i / Vulcan Softball Field)

GAME 1: HPU 8, HAWAI'I HILO 12

• Miquela Leopoldo and Mariah Antoque led off the bottom of the second with a base hit and a double, and after two recorded outs, Favela came through in the clutch and brought them in with a two-RBI triple for the first Vulcans runs. Rayna White followed up to drop a double in shallow left field for the RBI and a 3-0 lead.
• HPU managed to respond in the next half-inning with four hits to plate five runs, then added on three more runs on four hits in the top of the fifth to take an 8-3 advantage.
• The Vulcans began the uphill climb and got three runs back in the bottom of the fifth before exploding for six runs in the sixth with RBI at-bats by Hailey Gibson, Kiani Nakamura, Favela, Lexie Tilton and Kanoe Piltz. Favela drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single straight back up the middle.
• Lauren Otsubo recorded a consecutive victory in pitching relief duty and was the second pitcher out of the bullpen, going the final 2.2 innings without a hit nor run allowed.

GAME 2: HPU 1, HAWAI'I HILO 2 (10 INNINGS)

• The Sharks struck first in the opening frame. After consecutive strikeouts to start, a walked batter reached third and scored on a would-be third-out defensive error.
• Vulcans tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with Chenoa Cainglit drawing a lead-off walk and advancing all the way to third on a defensive error on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on Gibson's sacrifice fly to left field.
• Janessa Santos made her fourth start in the circle and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but HPU's Hoku Chang managed to get on with a lead-off bunt single. The redshirt-freshman transfer went the whole distance of 10.0 innings, tallying eight strikeouts with just three walks allowed and no earned runs for her first win.
• In the bottom of the 10th, with international tiebreaker rules in effect, Nakamura moved pinch runner Ke'alohi Markham over to third with a sac bunt before Favela slapped a grounder to second base and Markham beat the throw home for the walk-off win.